TEDxBocaRaton

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Alex Calle

  Alex M. Calle is an award-winning Production Designer, Creative Director, & Entrepreneur who takes a unique approach to directing, producing, & design, utilizing his background in theatre to above all, tell a story. He has designed & produced award-winning work for Film, Television, Theater, Themed Entertainment, Theme Parks, & Public Art Installations all over the world.

• Brian Shea

  Brian Shea is the Founder and CEO of Lucrum Partners, a growth advisory firm that helps B2B organizations modernize their revenue engines and compete more effectively in complex markets. Through Lucrum’s proprietary Signal-Led Go-To-Market™ operating system, Brian works with executive teams to identify and act on early market, buyer, and customer signal, often long before opportunities appear in a traditional sales pipeline. Brian founded Lucrum Partners to help organizations adapt to a fundamental shift in B2B buying: decisions are increasingly formed before sellers engage. Signal-Led Go-To-Market™ enables companies to detect demand earlier, align sales and marketing around real buyer signals, and engage buying groups with greater precision.

• Dance Team

  August Komkov is an 11-year-old USA Latin and ballroom dancer. He represents Team USA at the biggest world championships like Blackpool, WDC/AL and WDC. In the USA, he was chosen to represent Pennsylvania and the East Coast. He has won top world and local titles for over 3 years. His dance journey began at age six as a hobby, which grew into a true passion. Mia Mogilevsky is a 9-year-old competitive ballroom dancer known for her poise and power across International Ballroom and Latin styles. Training at an elite level at Brilliant Dance Sport Studio in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, she competes nationally and internationally with her partner, August. Together, they represent Team USA abroad and have quickly become standout performers in the Juvenile division. In 2025, Mia and August earned the Juvenile RS Latin World Champion title in Assen, Netherlands, and consistently rank among the top Juvenile couples in the world.

• Juan Plaza

  Juan is a Geodetic Engineer with a master’s in digital Photogrammetry and an MBA in International Finance from Florida International University. For the past 13 years, as CEO and principal consultant of Plaza Aerospace (www.plaza.aero) Juan has specialized in issues affecting aviation both piloted and non-piloted, or remotely piloted. He holds a Part 91 commercial pilot’s certificate with multiengine and instrument ratings and he’s a qualified second-in-command pilot for Cessna Citation C550 and C525. He’s also a Part 107, drone pilot. Juan is also a professional writer who writes about aviation issues, especially regulation and operational safety for six publications around the world in two languages. He has been married to Alison for 44 years and they have two children and five grandchildren. Juan is also an accomplished artist and enjoys cooking, bonsai making, and carpentry. Juan and Alison have lived in Boca Raton since 2001.

• Kelly Merbler

  Before launching her company, Kelly spent 21 years as a senior executive leading high-performing sales and operations teams. Her firsthand leadership experience fuels her passion for helping leaders grow from the inside out and create workplaces where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to contribute their best. Kelly is a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, a faculty member with Maxwell Leadership, and the host of Coffee with Kelly, a global leadership community, and the Coffee with Kelly: To Go! podcast, where she shares encouragement, leadership lessons, and practical tools for growth. Ahe lives in South Florida with her husband, is a proud mom of two teenage boys, and has a golden retriever puppy named Oliver. She is also highly committed to coffee, both as a beverage and a leadership strategy.

• Kevin Cox

  Kevin Cox, Ph.D., serves as Director of the Florida Atlantic Entrepreneurship Institute, where he leads the university’s integrated entrepreneurship ecosystem, including The Runway Accelerator and the Adams Center for Entrepreneurship at Florida Atlantic University. He is also a Senior Instructor of Entrepreneurship, Lead Instructor for The Runway and the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, a Division of Research Associate, and Co-host of the Shrimp Tank Podcast. Dr. Cox earned his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship from Florida Atlantic University and his Master of Science in Entrepreneurship from the University of Florida. He has taught, mentored, and advised more than 1,000 startups, providing strategic guidance to support the launch, growth, and performance of early-stage ventures. Under his leadership, FAU’s entrepreneurship programs have supported more than 200 ventures and contributed to hundreds of millions in capital raised and revenue generated.

• Pia Dandiya

  Born and raised in Jupiter, Florida, Pia is a proud second-generation American, high school principal, national policymaker, and technology leader. She is also a wife and mother. Pia’s work is driven by a mission to make the American Dream she experienced more accessible to others. She began her career as a teacher in high-poverty schools and, by age 28, became a high school principal and school founder in Harlem. Eighty-six percent of her students lived below the poverty line, and under her leadership, 100 percent earned admission to college. She later served as a White House Fellow across two presidential administrations, where she worked on education and economic mobility policy. Pia has also worked at the intersection of technology and education at Apple, focused on how innovation can better serve students and educators.

• Sreenivas Koka

  Sree has had an active leadership career in solo private practice including as business owner; hospital practice including serving as Department Chair at Mayo Clinic; non-profit roles including serving as Executive Director; academics including serving as Dean at the University of Mississippi Medical Center; leading professional organizations; and professional service as Chair of the MIT Sloan School of Management Alumni Board. During his career he has been chosen as the outstanding teacher of the year many times by professional/graduate students.